Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 21, Hadith 118
Narrated Al-Muttalib: When Uthman ibn Maz’un died, he was brought out on his bier and buried. The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered a man to bring him a stone, but he was unable to carry it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up and going over to it rolled up his sleeves. The narrator Kathir told that al-Muttalib remarked: The one who told me about the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: I still seem to see the whiteness of the forearms of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he rolled up his sleeves. He then carried it and placed it at his head saying: I am marking my brother’s grave with it, and I shall bury beside him those of my family who die.
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ نَجْدَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ سَالِمٍ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ الْفَضْلِ السِّجِسْتَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا حَاتِمٌ، – يَعْنِي ابْنَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ – بِمَعْنَاهُ عَنْ كَثِيرِ بْنِ زَيْدٍ الْمَدَنِيِّ، عَنِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، قَالَ لَمَّا مَاتَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ مَظْعُونٍ أُخْرِجَ بِجَنَازَتِهِ فَدُفِنَ أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلاً أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُ بِحَجَرٍ فَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ حَمْلَهُ فَقَامَ إِلَيْهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَحَسَرَ عَنْ ذِرَاعَيْهِ – قَالَ كَثِيرٌ قَالَ الْمُطَّلِبُ قَالَ الَّذِي يُخْبِرُنِي ذَلِكَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ – كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى بَيَاضِ ذِرَاعَىْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حِينَ حَسَرَ عَنْهُمَا ثُمَّ حَمَلَهَا فَوَضَعَهَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ وَقَالَ
“ أَتَعَلَّمُ بِهَا قَبْرَ أَخِي وَأَدْفِنُ إِلَيْهِ مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْ أَهْلِي ” .
Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 21, Hadith 118
This hadith is from the Sunan Abi Dawud collection of hadiths. What truly distinguishes Sunan Abi Dawud among its peers is its compiler’s advanced critical scholarship. Abu Dawud was not merely a collector but a rigorous evaluator. He applied a discerning methodology to vet the authenticity of each narration, frequently providing his own notes on the strength or weakness of the hadiths included. While he prioritized sound (sahih) and reliable reports for legal derivation, he sometimes included less robust narrations to illustrate scholarly points. This transparent and critical approach is a primary reason for the collection’s esteemed and highly authoritative status within the Islamic sciences.
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For more Hadith in Book 21: Funerals (Kitab Al-Jana’iz)